Vegan Kaju Katli Indian Cashew fudge. vegan, glutenfree

VeganMofo (month of food) Post 20, Day 25. Happy Diwali Everyone. This whole month is full of Indian festivals.. its a whole month of festivities for Indians and anyone who celebrates these festivals. Sweets and savory snacks and lots of delicious food!

Continuing with the sweet streak with the favorite Kaju Katlis…. The simplest ever ButterFree Fudge!!

Diwali like most festivals is celebrated in a variety of ways in different parts of the country. The things that are common are Pooja(religious worship rituals performed in different ways to get god’s blessings), making sweets and snacks, visiting family and friends and exchanging gifts and sweets.

Though a good part of India is vegetarian, we do have an intense dairy oriented dessert/sweet consumption. I am trying to make up a collection of already vegan and veganized versions of Indian sweets to celebrate these occasions without missing out on all the sugar high!

Kaju Katli is another favorite Indian dessert. There are several ways to make the fudge, but the key to a great fudge is a good sugar syrup and well ground cashews. Some methods require you to soak the cashews and cook with the sugar for about an hour. Some methods require a lot of elbow grease. This is the simplest recipe that I use to whip up fudge within minutes.

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Vegan Kaju Katli! Indian Cashew fudge. vegan, glutenfree

Prep Time

10mins

Cook Time

25mins

Total Time

35mins

Kaju Katli is another favorite Indian dessert. There are several ways to make the fudge, but the key to a great fudge is a good sugar syrup and well ground cashews. This recipe takes just minutes! Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Makes a dozen or more pieces depending on the size.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

2cupsraw cashews

1tablespooncornstarch or other starchoptional

1/3cupwater

1/2cupground raw sugar

Flavor options: 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder6 strands of saffron, or a few drops of kewra or rose essence

Grind the cashews to a powder in a dry grinder and keep aside. If using a blender, add cornstarch and then blend. Remove the buttery cashew powder from the sides of the blender in between to help with even blending.

Make the sugar syrup: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook over medium heat, until the syrup is a just about single thread consistency (close to 230°F / 110ºc), 3 to 4 minutes. (See note below for how to check single thread consistency.) Stir a few times in between. The syrup will get bubbly while it thickens. Add cardamom or other flavors and mix in.

Reduce heat to low, then add half of the ground cashews. Mix in well. Keep adding the cashew mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture gets thick and adds resistance to the movement of the spatula. Mix well each time by dragging and mixing. The mixture will be somewhere between a thick batter and a soft dough. You will use up anywhere from 1 1/2 cups to the entire 2 cups cashews.

Transfer the hot mixture to parchment or a greased flat plate or pan. Carefully pat it down or shape using a spatula, into a 1/4 inch thick somewhat rectangle. If the mixture is too sticky or hot, let it cool for a minute before patting it down. You can also roll it between 2 parchments. You can knead the mixture a bit at this point to make it smoother, before shaping into a rectangle.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the rectangle into a grid. Let cool completely before separating into pieces and storing. Store in an airtight container for a few days on the counter or several weeks refrigerated.

Recipe Notes

Single thread consistency:Take a drop of sugar syrup carefully between one finger and thumb or between two spoons. When you separate the finger and thumb the syrup should form a single thread at least 1/2-inch long before breaking. You can also check the consistency by dropping a single drop of the syrup in a bowl of cold water. The syrup should not immediately dissolve and should splash into one or more visible threads.

Troubleshoot:• Sugar syrups are tricky. So you can get a really soft fudge or a crumbly burfi. Either way they are absolutely delicious.• If the mixture gets too crumbly after adding cashews and does not lump up, that means the sugar syrup got too thick or over cooked. Keep the cashew mixture on low heat. Boil some water in another pan and add a teaspoon at a time to the cashew mixture, mix well, adding more if needed, until the mixture is more like a thick batter. Then proceed to make the fudge pieces.• If the fudge is too soft, the sugar syrup was likely undercooked. Serve with a spoon as halwa.

You can make this fudge with Almonds or peanuts, raw or slightly roasted too(Badam Katli) Have a safe and wonderful Diwali. There are several more vegan bloggers blogging amazing plant based Indian sweets! lots of option to choose from, no bad fat and a compassionate way to celebrate.

no.. that would become cashew cream and will not work in this recipe. The dry cashew flour and thick sugar syrup make up the right texture of the fudge. Cashew cream would end up with too much moisture and will not set.

I’m thinking they’d be a lovely addition to my Winter Solstice party but because of the sheer amount of cooking I’m anticipating, I’m going to favor heavily recipes that can be made days in advance whenever possible.

I tried this and it bombed :(. I used Trader Joes Turbindo sugar and I never got the single thread consistency syrup. Instead it turned out to be more like sugar candy. What did I do wrong? I followed your exact measures.

oh no. maybe the syrup got overcooked? what do you mean by sugar candy, it is too hard, too chewy?

if the sugar syrup is more than single thread consistency ( like it forms a ball when a drop is put into a bowl of water, it is is 2 to 3 thread consistency by then). at this stage the syrup will crystallize really quickly. so when you add cashews, the mixture will either become hard and diffcult to shape or crumbly. You can fix this. Heat up some water until it is boiling. Keep the cashew sugar mixture at low-medium heat, add the boiling water 1-2 tsp at a time and mix in. Eventually the mixture will start to get lumpy and wet. Mix well until smooth. Then pour the mixture onto a greased plate or parchment. Spread it using a spatula. Col completely, then slice.

If the sugar syrup was not a single thread consistency, the only thing that will happen is that the katli can range from soft to not well set.

Tried this from your cookbook, and made a note to myself to double or triple the recipe next time. SO delicious and decadent! Reminds me very much of marzipan. I was taking it to a party, and it took a lot of self control to not eat half the batch while cutting it up. Thank you!

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